Full sun, part shade, full shadethe sunlight your landscape receives can vary.
This guide will help you identify the light levels throughout your yard.
Sunlight, water, and soil are the key components of healthy plants.
Credit: Rob Cardillo Photography
Heres what you should probably do to make the most of every light level in your landscape.
Starting with a few sheets of tracing paper, sketch a copy of your yards outline on each page.
Repeat the process throughout the day, each time using a different sheet of paper.
Credit: Brie Williams Photography Inc
Stop recording about an hour before dusk.
Use a pencil to mark the shady sections on each page.
Label sun and shade pockets to indicate whether they reflect morning or afternoon conditions.
Credit: Blaine Moats
Layer the pages together, and youll get an accurate picture of how much light your yard receives.
Shade is a little more complicated.
Pair these deep shade locations with plants that dont require direct sunlight to thrive.
Credit: Carol Freeman Photography
Dappled shade can be found beneath trees, where small leaves filter sunlight to cast a shifting glow.
These seasonal light patterns are helpful to know as you choose and situate plants for your garden.
In a woodland setting, tall trees often cast light shade, punctuated by shafts of sunlight.
Good companion plants for astilbe includegolden Hakone grass,goatsbeard,hostas, and several types of ferns.
Consider Regional Influences
A plants light requirements shift throughout the United States.
In the Southern heat,sun-loving plantsmay benefit from shade during the hottest part of the day.
Meanwhile, in the Pacific Northwest, cloud cover can prevent sun lovers from flourishing.
Where cool, wet summers prevail, plants that nominally prefer partial shade can thrive in sunnier conditions.
Not sure what these terms mean?
The rest of the time, theseplants can be in dappled shadeor completely shaded.
Full shade:Plants that needfewer than three hoursof direct sun per day.
This process, called limbing up, effectively lifts a tree canopy, allowing more sunlight to penetrate below.
During late summer and fall, sunlight can slant beneath limbed-up trees to lighten the deep shade.
Selectively thinning can increase light to the ground below.
Similarly, you might also consider replacing solid fences with avine-covered latticeto increase light.
Plants are tough; they usually can handle moving from place to place.
Some of the most popular options include bleeding heart,lungwort,hellebore,begonia, andimpatiens.
